How to Make a Hamburger

Posted on Sunday, May 10th, 2015 at 3:00 pm.

How to Make a Hamburger

The hamburger is arguably the icon of American cuisine and is enjoyed in almost every part of the world. Simple, juicy and delicious, it can be assembled with a small number of ingredients. Although it’s easy to make, many cooks make mistakes that compromise the flavor of their hamburgers. Learn from these top tips how to make a hamburger that leaner and tastier.

Choosing Ingredients for Hamburger

Hamburgers surprisingly don’t have any ham. The heart of a traditional hamburger is the beef patty. The patty is made using ground beef and can either be made at home or bought from the store. Homemade beef patties generally taste better and offer more flavor than packaged varieties. Fresh ground beef makes the best hamburgers. If the meat is frozen, the best way to preserve its taste is to defrost it in the refrigerator for several hours or days.

How to Make a Hamburger at Home

Learning how to make a hamburger is a little more than just layering ingredients. You first have to grill or bake your beef patty and select other ingredients to make your burger a masterpiece. To make a hamburger, you will need:

1 – 1 ¼ lbs. quality ground beef

Salt and black pepper for seasoning

Fresh hamburger buns

Cheese slices (optional)

Meat thermometer

Step 1:

If your ground beef is already defrosted, season the meat generously with salt and black pepper. Seasoning with kosher salt is recommended.

Step 2:

Use your hands to separate the beef into ¾ – 1 inch thick patties. You can make them bigger but they will take longer to cook.

Step 3:

Add a few droplets of water into a non-stick pan and add patties. Be careful not to overcrowd the patties. If they can’t fit all at once, cook in batches. Cook each side until brown. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. According to food safety organizations, patties should at least read 160F on the thermometer to be safe to eat.

Step 4:

When patties are cooked to your liking, you can slap on a slice of cheese on each one. Let cheese melt for a minutes while the patties are still in the pan.

Step 5:

Use a spatula to remove the beef patties from heat and serve on toasted buns with lettuce and tomato and onion slices. Enjoy.